Friends and Lovers
by claireyboop
Summary: After Nicole's relationship with John Cena came to an end, she found comfort in the arms of her friends. One more than others.
1. Alone

So, it was now common knowledge that Nikki Bella was back on the market. Everybody knew about her very public break-up with John Cena, and it was proving to be very awkward at work. Thankfully, she didn't work directly with him, and she barely saw him in working circumstances anyway, but there were the odd few times that Nikki was stood frozen, unable to move, because she knew he was there and she just couldn't bring herself to run away.

It was very difficult for her, because after being with John for so long, and having that happy relationship, it was all over. Nicole was alone. She didn't really know how to be alone right now, she was so used to having him around and sharing that large, lavish home. But, she'd had to move all of her stuff out of that house. Thankfully, her sister Brie was supportive and helpful, and she'd let Nicole move into her and Bryan's spare bedroom. It wasn't exactly what Nicole was used to, and it definitely didn't have enough closet space for her, but it was better than living in hotel rooms all the time. It did mean, however, that she and Brie were around each other even more these days and that was always a cause for hell.

"Nicole, did you take that dress to the dry-cleaners like I asked you to?" Brie's voice was like nails on a chalk board for Nicole these days, and she was honestly getting so sick of her constantly harassing her. She didn't get a moment to herself.

"Yes, Brie. It's in your closet. Maybe you'd know that if you opened your eyes." Nicole reverted, as she stepped out of the spare bedroom in a long, flowing black dress that accentuated her enhanced breasts. She rested her hand on the door frame and raised her eyebrows in Brie's direction.

"That was rude." Brie maneuvered around the room, reorganizing the cushions on the couch and straightening things up. She was a stickler for having things in their place. She didn't like how laid back Nicole was. "And that dress is far too revealing. You're gonna fall out."

Nicole took a quick glance down at her chest and shrugged her shoulders. "I paid for these, why shouldn't I show them off?" She said, shooting a smirk in Brie's direction as she then slipped back into the bedroom and pulled on a pair of black heels to match her dress. She then grabbed her purse and walked back through to the main area of the house.

"Where are you going?" Brie asked, resting her hands on her hips, almost like a motherly figure would do.

Nicole rolled her eyes and sighed a little, "I'm having drinks with Eva tonight." She said, extending her hands outwards in a somewhat frustrated manner.

"Eva doesn't drink, Nicole."

"Okay, I'm having drinks, and Eva will be there, too."

The twins often had little spats like this all the time, so often that Bryan found it easier to stay out of the girls' way, or he'd end up in the middle of it all, as usual. Brie often ended up complaining to him anyway, so he knew every tiny detail of what happened between the two of them, whether he wanted to or not. Nicole, however, didn't have a man to complain to. So, she often found herself confiding in Eva, mostly because she found that the redhead wouldn't turn to someone else and gossip about her. She'd tried telling Nattie stuff in the past, and she'd just blabbed about it all. Eva was a much more private person, like Nicole, and so she could rely on her.

A short cab ride later, and Nicole was sat in the outside area of a small bar in the local area. She'd gotten there before Eva, so she ordered herself some wine, a whole bottle of course, and sat with the glass in her hand. She didn't like to be on her own - it left her to think about things, and that was never good for Nicole.

Thankfully, Eva arrived shortly after, and once she'd ordered her own non-alcoholic beverage, the two girls could sit and catch up.

"Brie is driving me crazy. Living with her is so much harder now." Starting off the conversation with a complaint, Nicole sipped on her deep red wine, and looked over to her redheaded friend for some advice.

"What is she doing?" Eva asked, looking to be there for her friend. Eva knew just as well as anyone how badly Nikki was taking the whole break up with John, but she'd been the one that Nicole had confided in the most, other than Brie. Although, by the sounds of things it didn't seem as though Nicole wanted to talk to her sister about things anymore.

"Acting like she's my mother. She constantly wants to know where I'm going, what I'm doing. She sends me text messages asking when I'll be home. I know she's all into this whole wife and family idea, but I'm not her kid. If I want to go out and have drinks, I shouldn't need to tell her all about it." She said, shaking her head as she sipped on the wine even more. She'd already had a full glass before Eva got there, so she was now on her second.

"She's probably just looking out for you." The redhead was friends with both Brie and Nicole, so it was hard to choose sides when one of them complained about the other - and that happened a hell of a lot. Most of the girls found it difficult to figure all of this out, and give advice where it was needed. But, sometimes a bit of tough love was necessary for the pair of them. However, right now it seemed Nicole just needed a friend.

"I know. But it's suffocating, you know?" Nicole shook her head as she finished off her second glass of wine and filled the glass once more with what was left in the bottle. She then signaled to one of the waiters roaming around the bar that she wanted another bottle of wine. Eva was somewhat concerned with Nicole's drinking lately, and being a recovering alcoholic, she knew the signs.

"Maybe you should slow down, Nicole." Eva suggested, only to receive a scoff and an expression of confusion on Nicole's face. It seemed she wasn't going to get anywhere by suggesting things like that.

The two girls carried on through the evening, enjoying a catch up. Eva managed to get to talk about her recent Honeymoon with Jonathon, and though she didn't want to rub it in, Nicole seemed eager to hear about her friends successful new marriage. It was nice that despite Nicole's broken relationship, she could still be happy for her friends.

Through the night, Nicole finished off around two and a half bottles of wine, before Eva managed to stop her from drinking as she was getting somewhat drunk, and the redhead was worried about her. Calling a cab, Eva Marie got Nikki in the back and took her back to her own home, instead of back to Brie's. She figured it would be better than way since it was late, and Jonathon was away for work anyway.

Hopefully, Brie wouldn't be too annoyed the following morning that her sister was passed out in Eva's spare room, unable to respond to the dozen or so text messages that she'd sent.


	2. The Comfort of Family

Waking up the following morning, Nicole groaned. Her head was sore, and she felt hungry but sick at the same time. Hangovers weren't something she was used to. She usually drank a lot, but clearly last night had been more than usual. Maybe she wasn't handling being alone so well after all.

Rolling over, she realized she wasn't in Brie's spare bedroom. She wasn't too sure where she was, but right now that didn't matter. Grabbing her phone from the bed side table, Nicole saw the ridiculous amount of missed calls, text messages and voicemails all left on her phone by Brie. Could she not leave her alone for one night? Honestly, it was pathetic. You'd think that Brie was assuming the parenting role in Nikki's life these days, when she had a perfectly good mother for that. Besides, she was old enough to look after herself, she didn't need her twin sister to constantly harass her about where she was or what she was doing.

"Oh good, you're awake." Looking up, Nicole spotted Eva poking her head through the bedroom door, and she was relieved to realize her friend had taken her home last night. At least she wasn't in the home of a stranger. "How are you feeling?" The redhead asked, as she brought in a glass of water, and a mug of coffee. Exactly what the brunette was in need of right now.

"A mix of confused, hungover, and annoyed." She said, with a half-hearted laugh as she sat upright and took the coffee that Eva handed to her. As she took a sip, she realized that Eva knew Nicole better than she expected. The coffee was perfect, exactly how Nicole liked it - and even her own sister couldn't get it right half the time. She never noticed how much attention Eva paid to her friends before. "You should see the messages Brie has left me." Nicole rolled her eyes as she crossed her legs, careful not to spill her coffee.

"I called her this morning, I told her that you'd stayed with me and you were having issues with your phone so you couldn't tell her. Plus it was late when we got back anyway, so you would have woken her. She's not exactly thrilled, but she knows you're alright." Eva explained. Though Nicole was grateful for her friend's efforts, she knew that she'd have a massive rant waiting for her back at Brie's place. She wasn't looking forward to going back.

"Thank you." Nicole said gently as she sipped on her coffee. "I just wish she'd give me some freedom. I feel like a teenager again, avoiding my parents all the time." A heavy sigh passed her lips, and Eva could see just how much this was getting her down. It didn't seem fair.

Eva realized that if Nicole stayed with Brie much longer, their relationship could get very rocky, and that didn't seem fair. "Why don't you stay with me a while?" She suggested, without even thinking twice. She didn't need to, Nicole was always welcome in her home.

Widening her eyes, Nikki looked up, somewhat surprised at the offer. "What?" She asked, making sure she'd heard the redhead correctly. She didn't want to say yes too soon, despite knowing she would.

"Yeah. Jonathon's away for work for a while, and it's pretty lonely here. Besides, if you and Brie live together much longer one of you will end up dead. I can't have that kind of blood on my hands." She said, giving her friend a comforting grin - trying to lighten the mood if she could. "Come on, we have fun together. And I'll give you all the freedom you want."

Nicole smiled, and she thought for a moment. She knew she was going to say yes, she was considering staying in hotels before Eva offered. But this was a big deal. A huge deal. "If you're sure that it'll be alright, then yes. I would love to stay here with you." The brunette felt instantly better, and the hangover even seemed to pass by her the more she sipped on her perfect coffee.

"Great. Now, get dressed. We'll go grab some breakfast and then I'll drop you off at Brie's. You can get your stuff and come back here whenever." With that, the redhead left the room to prepare herself for the rest of the day. Nicole, however, was still somewhat surprised. Her morning had gone from it's usual angry, irritated self, to a much more appealing, hopeful one. Already things seemed a little bit better.

"She's so irresponsible, though. I don't understand how she can think it's okay to just disappear and not come back at all." Brie was busy complaining about her sister to her husband, who didn't seem all that interested. But, out of politeness and the fact that he didn't need her anger directed at him, he chose to humor her.

"Maybe she just needed some space. You two have been at each others throats for weeks." He stated, trying to remain neutral.

"She didn't even tell me she'd be out all night. She just left! And she was so rude to me." It didn't look like Brie was listening at all, and that annoyed Bryan a little bit. But, he didn't show it - again, he didn't want to be on his wife's bad side. This was bad enough.

"Brie, calm down. She's alright, she's her own person. You need to stop worrying so much." He didn't think it was worry, more like control, but this was a nicer way to put it, wasn't it? It seemed to be.

"How can I calm down when she's off getting hammered all night? Honestly, she's being so childish."

"I hope you're not talking about me." At that moment, Nicole walked through the door, looking directly at Brie, who had been so blatantly bashing her right there.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know how worried I was?" Brie asked, resting her hands on her hips as Nicole shut the door and crossed the room, she was intending to go straight to the spare bedroom, but her sister blocked her way. "Answer me."

"You're not my mother, Brie. Stop acting like it. Now, get out of my way. I need to pack." She said, as she tried to get past her sister, who seemed adamant on stopping her in her tracks. This was getting out of hand, Nicole just needed to get back to Eva's and she'd be fine.

"Pack for what? We're not on the road for a few days yet. Where are you going?"

"Not that it's any of your business anyway, but I'm staying with Eva instead."

"You can't put her out like that. She has a husband, and a life. She can't be tending to your every need."

"She offered. Plus, I don't need her to tend to me. I can look after myself, and I never asked you to mother me all the time. You're the reason I'm staying with her. I can't deal with your crap all the time Brie. I'm going crazy."

"You're going crazy? Nicole, I'm having to deal with all of your crap. You won't tell me anything, where you're going, what you're doing. I didn't know you went to Eva's, what was I supposed to think?"

"That I am a grown woman and I don't need your permission for anything. Now get the hell out of my way."

At this point, Nikki pushed past her sister and stormed into the spare bedroom, closing the door behind her. Brie looked over to her husband, who simply held his hands up and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want to get in the middle of this - judging from past experience he'd somehow end up in the line of fire. Bryan was a very neutral person, and he wanted to keep it that way.

In the spare bedroom, Nicole was angrily packing her things into her suitcases. She did have a lot of clothes, and thankfully, Eva had more room in her spare bedroom. However, this wasn't even half of it, really. She'd had to ask her mother to store some of her other clothes. Mostly things from the Summer seasons that she wouldn't need until next year now. Hopefully by then she'd have her own place, and being a real estate agent she would be able to find somewhere perfect for herself. For now, she had the things she needed, and though that seemed like a lot, it was perfect for Nikki Bella.

Around an hour into packing, Nicole heard a knock on the door, and sighed heavily. "Now now, Brie." She called, but the door opened anyway, and she was somewhat annoyed. Turning around, "I said not n-"

"It's not Brie." Bryan was stood in the doorway of the spare bedroom. "She's gone to do some grocery shopping, so I figured I'd talk to you."

"Sorry, Bryan. I didn't mean to snap at you." She said, as she carried on packing. She felt bad for Bryan, because she knew he didn't need to be involved with all of this stupid sibling stuff. Then again, that's what comes with the territory of being married to a Bella twin.

"It's okay, I get it. You're frustrated." Bryan shrugged, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He really did resemble a lumberjack. "I know Brie's being a little full on right now, but it is just because she cares. All this stuff you went through with John, she knows how bad it's left you. She doesn't mean to be overly mothering."

Nicole sighed a little, the mention of John's name made her flinch. She hadn't really thought about him for a good few hours, and it hurt to have him brought up again. But, she got Bryan's point. "I know." Putting down her things, Nicole turned to face her brother-in-law, and gave him a half smile. "I just wish she'd see that I can look after myself. When I need her, she'll know. I can't live like this though." She admitted.

It was nice to have Bryan around. He was a good brother to her, and despite being Brie's husband, he didn't take sides in these silly sister fights. He saw Nicole as part of his family as well, and she appreciated that a lot.

"I know you can't. She'll calm down, too. Living with Eva will probably bring you guys closer, too. You know when you move out of your parents home for the first time, and you actually get along with them better because you don't see them all the time?"

"Yeah. I hope so. I love her, you know. She's my sister, but she's acting like she needs to control my life."

"It'll get better. But if you do need to talk, I'm here, Nicole. I'm not just here for Brie, you know that."

With a nod, Nicole thanked him, and he left her to her packing again. It was comforting, to say the least, to know that she did have more people in her life that cared for her. She didn't always need to turn to her sister when she was upset, and sometimes it was better not to. Brie had very strong views, and if the two disagreed on something - usually something in Nicole's life - there was always an argument between them over it. Having Bryan around as well was helping her out, but she knew she couldn't stay here. All the arguing between Brie and Nicole was probably bringing difficulties for Bryan's otherwise happy marriage. She didn't want to cause problems.


End file.
